My son died of a heroin overdose. Trump's commission could help the crisis - if he listens | Opinion

On May 11, 2015, our 25-year old son Alex died of a heroin overdose, three years after he graduated from college.

We had long feared that when he "hit bottom" he'd be dead. When two black-clad Newark police officers arrived at our door, we knew the worst had happened.

In the midst of terror attacks in NYC and promises for tax reform, the opioid epidemic remains an important constant, especially for those of us personally affected. The epidemic is back in the news again, this time via President Trump's declaration of a National Public Health Emergency and the Final Report of the White House Commission on Combating Drug Addiction and the Opioid Crisis.

Regrettably, Trump's declaration was mostly of the "just-say-no" variety, with few resources dedicated to the problem. Moreover, this administration's policies threaten to make this health care catastrophe even worse.

The Trump administration must listen to its own Commission. The interim and final reports underscore the seriousness of the epidemic and recommend more federal money and action to fight addiction. The reports document the staggering consequences of the epidemic: more than 142 people die every day from drug overdoses.

Every three weeks, the death toll replicates the American body-count on Sept. 11, 2001. Using data from counties and the Office of the Medical Examiner, NJ Advance Media recently found that more than 2000 New Jerseyans died of a drug overdose in 2016, more than from guns, car accidents, and suicides combined.

Alex fought as hard against his addiction as my husband and I did. Ultimately he went to 10 rehabs, countless detoxes, and numerous sober living facilities. None of it worked, because our recovery system is broken. Addiction is now an equal opportunity curse. It's white and black, red and blue, young and old, it wears blue jeans and suits.

Our education in the world of addiction was relentless, unsparing, and heartbreaking, and we share that heartbreak with many families. Pill-pushing doctors routinely prescribe addictive drugs. One Florida doctor meeting Alex for the first time prescribed 90 Xanax and 30 Ambien, contributing directly to his death just 11 days later. More generally, there is an over-reliance on psychiatric medicines. Alex was a chemistry experiment, repeatedly suffering seizures from legally prescribed psychiatric drugs.

Jails and prisons are dumping grounds for addicts and the mentally ill. Alex spent three weeks in jail, until we bailed him out because he was deteriorating mentally and physically. Those suffering from substance abuse and mental health illness need treatment, not lockup.

Most of the care and financial burden for substance abuse falls on families, and they need help, including both increased access to, and better, treatment. The current rehab and recovery system is a patchwork of unproven therapies, greedy organizations, and ineffective psychiatry. Insurance policies typically don't cover more than 30 days, and that's for those lucky enough to have coverage. We need long-term, supportive, evidence-based treatment facilities, and follow-up community recovery efforts. Substance abusers need lots of "clean time," to learn to be clean. Alex was days away from entering a year-long program when he died, though insurance would not have covered it.

As the Commission argues, existing federal parity laws between physical and mental health benefits should be enforced and state parity laws must be enacted. Even those with insurance are denied reimbursement for mental health/substance abuse services, to which a 2008 federal law entitles us. Horizon Blue Cross/Blue Shield has repeatedly denied us reimbursement for addiction services, a denial I'm convinced would not have happened if Alex's illness had been diabetes rather than substance abuse. We soldier on, but our appeal options are limited.

We need policies that stress harm reduction. Research already exists to support such efforts, as do recent success stories in other countries such as Australia and Germany, and in states like Vermont.

And yet, U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions rescinded the Obama administration's easing of penalties for nonviolent drug arrests, recommending instead the harshest possible charges. Trump supports this approach, promising more drug prosecutions, more jail, and more programs to keep young people from trying drugs.

"Just say no" didn't work during the Reagan years, and such empty rhetoric won't work now. We need treatment programs that offer empathy and compassion. Policies that expand syringe programs, naloxone distribution, diversion programs, medication-assisted treatment, and partnerships between public health and law enforcement are baby steps in the right direction. Most importantly, we need to protect the Affordable Care Act and expand Medicaid participation, and yet this administration supports neither. Health care is a right, not a privilege.

The Commission has provided an important roadmap. The opioid epidemic must not be lost in the tweetstorms, it must remain at the top of our political agenda.

We need the federal government to partner in these efforts, along with state and local governments. We also need the will of the people to move beyond shame and stigma to demand action. More will die until action -- both presidential and congressional -- replaces rhetoric. Those who have lived the insanity can play a critical road in the process of recovery, providing clues to the road forward. Those without first-hand experience with substance abuse should realize that if it happened to us, it could happen to anyone.

Patricia A. Roos is a professor of sociology at Rutgers University, New Brunswick. She's working on a book about grief and resilience.